the five healing tibetans

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The Five Healing Tibetans

Most people can start performing each of the exercises with three repetitions and, after a week or two, can increase the repetitions by three until each exercise involves 21 repetitions. (In general, 21 repetitions are enough to get the full benefit of each exercise.)

It doesn’t matter how long it takes to build up to this number, but it is important that each exercise is performed correctly and smoothly without any need to rest between repetitions. Always do the same amount of repetitions for each exercise and, if at all possible, perform them every day.

Apart from Healing Tibetan Five, after each exercise stand straight with your arms relaxed by your sides and your eyes closed. Take two to three deep breaths before moving on to the next exercise.

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Healing Tibetan One

Among its other benefits, this exercise should help improve your sense of balance. Allow your sense of balance to develop naturally and do not use tricks to prevent dizziness (such as maintaining your focus on one point while spinning).

Take CareDon’t be tempted to spin too fast or you may fall over or move from the spot on which you should be spinning. It is best to start off slowly and increase the speed gradually. However, never spin so fast that you find it difficult to remain in one place while you spin.

Stand straight with your shoulders level and feet slightly apart. Hold your arms outstretched to the side at shoulder height with your palms facing downwards and your fingers and thumbs together. Face directly forwards. Begin breathing deeply and evenly.

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2 Keeping this position and still breathing deeply, turn on the spot to your right until you complete one full turn and you face the same direction as you started. Turn by taking small steps, leading with your right foot and following with your left foot.

Repeat three to four times at first, gradually building up to the full 21. (Do not pause between repetitions.)

Once you have completed the exercise, stand in the end position shown on page 33, breathing until any feelings of dizziness have subsided.


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Healing Tibetan Two

Performing this exercise will strengthen your stomach muscles and, to a lesser extent, stretch your back.

Take CareWhen you first perform this exercise, you may find you can do several repetitions with relative ease. However, do not allow this to deceive you into increasing the number of repetitions you do too quickly in case you injure the muscles in your stomach or back. Although pulled muscles will heal, it is better to progress more slowly and be confident you will not unduly strain your body.


Lie on your back with your legs and feet together so the toes point upwards. Place your arms by your sides with the palms facing downwards and keep the fingers and thumb of each hand together. Adjust your posture until your back and legs are fully stretched out.

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2 Take a deep breath in, and as you inhale raise your head and your legs from the ground until your chin rests on or near your chest and your legs are completely vertical. When you are lifting your legs keep them together and as straight as you can, with your feet still touching. Avoid lifting your lower back off the ground: only your bottom should lift off the floor.

As you breathe out, lower your head and your legs to the ground until you return to the starting position. Make sure you raise and lower your head and your legs at the same speed.

Once you have completed the correct number of repetitions of this exercise, stand in the end position taking two to three breaths, then move on to Healing Tibetan Three.


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Healing Tibetan Three

The primary purpose of this exercise is to stretch your back and improve its flexibility.

Take CareAs with any exercise involving significant back movements, move slowly and smoothly and be careful not to overextend yourself.

Kneel with your upper legs perpendicular to the floor, your legs slightly apart and your flexed toes on the floor. Your arms should be unbent and positioned by your sides. Hold your upper body upright, with your neck bent so your chin rests on or near your chest.

(Alternatively, you can put the top part of each foot and its toes flat against the ground. Although this should improve how you arch your back, you may find it extends your ankles in a way that makes the exercise harder.)

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Breathing in, whilst keeping your upper legs perpendicular to the floor and your hands and arms still, lift your head and continue moving it until it is tilted as far back as is comfortable. At the same time, extend your spine backwards until you are bent as far back as you can manage. Initially, you may need to provide support with your hands during the backwards bend to avoid falling over and to keep your upper legs in position. However, after some practice you will find you can rely on the tension of the muscles in the upper legs and will no longer need to use your hands.

As you breathe out, move your head forwards and down, bringing your spine upright so that you return to the starting posture.

After the correct number of repetitions, return to the starting position (page 33) for a few moments.

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Healing Tibetan Four

This exercise helps build and maintain upper body strength.

Take CareSupporting your upper body on your hands, palms down against the ground, can put stress on the wrists. If this is a problem, support your upper body with your hands formed into fists so the parts from the knuckles to the first finger joints touch the floor.

Sit on the ground with your legs stretched out in front of you and slightly apart so your feet and toes point upwards, in line with your shoulders. With your arms perpendicular to the ground place your hands palms down on the floor pointing towards your feet. Keep the fingers and thumb of each hand together. Bend your head forward so your chin rests on or near your chest.

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As you breathe in, lift your head until it is tilted as far back as is comfortable. At the same time, move your hips up and forwards until your torso is parallel to the ground and your lower legs are perpendicular to it.

Now breathe out, moving your head forwards and towards your chest, lowering your hips back towards the ground so you return to the starting position. Do not move your arms or hands, or allow your feet to slide during this exercise. Instead, pivot the motion of your upper body around your shoulders and the motion of your lower body around your ankles.

Don’t forget to return to the standing position before moving on to the final exercise.

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Healing Tibetan Five

The final position of this exercise involves a full body stretch, building on the different partial stretches involved in the previous exercises to improve your overall flexibility.

Take CareYour arms and your legs should remain straight throughout; do not move your hands, or allow your feet to slide.

Lie on your front, but arch your upper body and head away from the floor. Flex your toes forward and keep your arms perpendicular to the ground, with your hands pointing forwards. Support yourself off the floor with just the palms of your hands and the base of your toes. Keep the fingers and thumb of each hand together. Tilt your head as far back as is comfortable.

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Breathing in, bring your head forward and your chin towards your chest. At the same time, move your hips up and back and your shoulders down and back so your lower body slants upwards and your upper body slants down until the whole body forms a reversed ‘V’. If possible, have the soles of your feet touching the ground by getting your heels as close to the floor as you can. Although this may be hard to do at first, you should find angling your feet back from your toes in the starting position helps.

As you breathe out, lift your head away from your chest, lowering your hips towards the ground while raising your shoulders so that you return to the starting position.

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Healing Tibetan Six

Although this exercise accompanies the Five Healing Tibetans, and thus in some sense is a Sixth Healing Tibetan, it is not necessary to perform it to get the full benefit of the Five Healing Tibetans. The exercise has an energizing effect that is different to that of the other exercises and therefore is complementary.

Peter Kelder related this exercise to the raising of energy from lower energy centres in the energy body (see page 6) and suggested that only the celibate should perform it. However, this suggestion has more to do with the customs of the time he was writing in rather than any requirement of the exercise itself.

Stand up straight with your arms by your sides and your feet slightly apart. Take a deep breath.

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As you breathe out, bend your knees slightly and bend forward until you support your torso with your hands placed on your knees and your arms straight. Continue to breathe out, pressing in with the muscles of the lower abdomen first and then of progressively higher regions to force out all the air you can, until you can no longer breathe out.

Without breathing in, return to an erect position with your hands placed on your hips and your shoulders raised. Keep your abdomen pulled in and your chest pushed out. When you can no longer hold your breath, breathe in as deeply as you can through your nose. Then breathe out and return your arms to your sides.

Repeat the exercise no more than three times even if you do more repetitions for the five exercises that precede this one.

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the five healing tibetans

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